Kilbride continue to shine on Intermediate return

TOM GANNON

The IFC group stage will come to a conclusion this weekend and the opening two rounds didn't fail to disappoint.

Some teams such as St Patrick's and Navan O'Mahonys have struggled, while others such as Meath Hill and Oldcastle have excelled. The real surprise package has been newcomers Kilbride who are two from two.

Navan O’Mahonys v Kilbride: Pre-championship, O’Mahonys were probably warm favourites to top group D but it’s been their final round opponent Kilbride who have lit the group up. Good wins over St Michael’s and Walterstown have put last year's junior champions in prime position. Any positive result in this will safely see them through to the quarter-finals. Navan O’Mahonys bounced back well against St Michael’s in round two but further improvement is needed if they are going to beat this buzzy Kilbride side.

Verdict – Kilbride.

Meath Hill v Blackhall Gaels: Before a ball was even thrown in in the IFC, Meath Hill were fancied by many to go all the way and they have not done any harm so far to that particular belief. They have gone about their business in good fashion and further improvement is to be expected as the competition goes on. They are two from two so far and any sort of result against Blackhall Gaels would see them progress. The Gaels are off the back of a loss to Bective and an 11-point swing is needed to see the Batterstown side trouble Meath Hill.

Verdict – Meath Hill.

Bective v Nobber: Bective have managed to put themselves in a good position heading into the last round of group fixtures. Having lost their opening round game, Bective bounced back against Blackhall Gaels last time out and a win here would surely see them safely through to the knockout stages. Nobber have looked out of their depth and their focus is surely now on survival.

Verdict – Bective.

Castletown v Longwood: The side who went on a fantastic run in the All-Ireland Club JFC two years ago stunned last year’s finalists Duleek Bellewstown last time out. They now face a Longwood side who look to be under the coche. Longwood have struggled to rack up enough scores in their games so far. There isn’t a huge gap between the two sides but Castletown are slightly preferred.

Verdict – Castletown.

Oldcastle v Moynalvey / St Patrick’s v Drumbaragh: The outcome of this group has already been decided with Moynalvey and Oldcastle both already qualified with two wins behind them. St Patrick’s who have performed below many people's expectations are set to fight for survival alongside Drumbaragh. Oldcastle have been quite impressive so far and they will want to keep up the momentum with a win, while St Patrick's will want to get some confidence restored and should get the better of Drumbaragh.

Verdict – Oldcastle / St Patrick’s.

St Michael’s v Walterstown: An Olly Maloney hat-trick helped Walterstown stun group favourites O’Mahonys in their opening fixture. They didn’t look as sharp against Kilbride and maybe the hype resulting from that first-round win did them no favours. St Michael's have yet to get a win and although they haven’t been a million miles off the pace, they are still going to be coming into the clash low in confidence. A solid Walterstown performance should be enough to see them through.

Verdict – Walterstown.